Erzincan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi

Öz

Anatolia hosted many civilizations throughout history, and has a rich cultural accumulation and diversity. One of the most important components of this cultural mosaic is food and culinary culture. However, in the globalizing world, as in many areas, popular culture has begun to dominate the field of gastronomy. Nevertheless, in recent years, the interest in local products has increased and the awareness towards their protection is rising. The most rational way to achieve this is to bring these values to tourism.
Branding is one of the most important goals of tourism. Competitive touristic regions want to stand out with their various brand values. Especially cities with similar tourist attractions are in an effort to complete the branding process and be recognized as a brand city. One of the best ways to do this is to be known for local products. Local food products attract a lot of attention in gastronomic tourism. Gastronomic tourism covers the travels for a food product, as well as the production and preparation processes of that product. In this context, a product that tourists cannot taste elsewhere attracts attention, and tourists tend to identify that place with that product. Thus, a status called geographical indication, emphasizing the connection of a product with the geography in which it emerged, has been developed.
Erzincan, which has been on important trade and migration routes since history, is a city with a rich potential regarding food and culinary culture. This rich heritage, which has been passed down from generation to generation, is unfortunately on the verge of being forgotten. In this study, suggestions were made in terms of what should be done in order to evaluate Erzincan within the scope of gastronomic tourism by introducing the original local culinary culture elements to give a brand value to the city. In the study, in which qualitative research methods were used, information was obtained by using the interview technique, especially from the elderly people who have knowledge about the culinary culture of the city. By supporting the data with the literature, local food products that can be evaluated with regards to gastronomic tourism in Erzincan have been determined.
It is thought that products such as cutting shredded wheat in syrup, flaky pastry, noodle soup, dough borani, babukko, kelecos, sour soup, kasefe dessert and dövmeç (lök) in Erzincan are unique to the region and these may be effective in giving the city a brand value. In this context, it is important to promote these products and to register them with a geographical indication application that they are unique to the region. In addition, it is essential to make informative and encouraging initiatives for the businesses that carry out their activities on food to manufacture the aforementioned products in the region and to include them in the economy. With the inclusion of these products in the gastronomic tourism of Erzincan, it is expected that many sectors, from the farmer families producing the agricultural products used in these dishes to the businesses that market them, will be revived, and therefore an important step will be taken towards regional development.